lay us down we're in love
by Trumpet-Geek
Summary: [MISAWA] eijun is a boy of contradictions, loud enthusiasm and quiet concentration, soft heart and hard body, firm discipline and gentle smiles. he is a boy of beauty and pain, of hard work and laziness, intelligence and idiocy. He is a boy of love, of sweetness, of sunlight and warmth and fresh salt air, and there are no adjectives within him to contradict that.


**lay us down; we're in love**

 _By_ : TG

 _Summary_ :

 _Disclaimer_ : I don't own daiya.

 _Warnings_ : non-explicit sex, language

AN: this was written for the misawa reverse bang event hosted by me over at daiyabigbang! its been a challenging last few months but ive had a lot of support from people like mandraked, southpaws-catcher, yuukitetsuyaz, cinnamonrollwannabe, and starrwinter. and of course this couldnt have been done without my beta extantecstasy and my artist batteryboiz!

please go take a look at batteryboiz's beautiful art! we also made a playlist you can listen to!

Enjoy!

* * *

"Miyuki Kazuya! Did you see the article!?"

Kazuya grins and shifts his baseball bag to his other shoulder. Sawamura's voice is warm and bright like honey, excited and overeager and loud and exactly what Kazuya wants to hear. He holds the phone closer to his ear as though that can negate the distance between them, using his free hand to pull out the sports mag he's been carrying around all week just in case.

"Yeah, I'm looking at it right now."

" _So_?!"

Kazuya chuckles and takes his time, makes himself comfortable against the brick wall of the indoor practice facility. It's a bit hard to see in the dark, but he's looked at the article enough times over the last week that it's etched into his memory – _not_ that he's going to admit that to his boyfriend. Eijun huffs loudly on the other end of the line, impatient for Kazuya's praise like always.

"It's a good article. Well-written. Probably could've used a better picture of you though," he teases, thumb trailing over Sawamura's glossy figure. He is turned toward the outfield, arms raised and mouth open in mid-OSH, looking every bit the ace he's become.

Also not admitting that to his boyfriend.

Sawamura squawks and takes a deep breath, ready to use his considerable lung power to whine, but Kazuya hastily cuts him off before he can get started. "You did well leading the team through Koushien, and your pitching in the last game was definitely something. I think a lot of universities are going to be looking at you."

"There already are," Sawamura murmurs. He sounds awed, a little stunned about it still. "There are a lot of important-looking people at our practices."

Kazuya thinks of fiery golden eyes, a form as beautiful as any work of art, and a pitch that cut so sharp the entire stadium held its breath. He wants to say, of course universities are looking. He wants to say, _I_ was looking. He wants to say, _I wanted to be the one catching for you_.

Instead he takes a breath and says, "I am so proud of you."

The other line is goes silent but for Sawamura's soft breathing. Kazuya leans his head back against the brick and closes his eyes, imagines the way the freckles smattered across the bridge of Sawamura's nose stand out against the pleased flush that's probably painting his cheeks.

"I really miss you," Sawamura murmurs.

Kazuya sighs, a quiet breath that lingers in the cooling evening. He can't claim to be a romantic, but _god_ he misses him too. Hearing Sawamura's voice settles his heart, but it doesn't compare to the feeling of peace that resonates in him when they're together in person. The wistfulness that colors Sawamura's voice tonight bothers him; Sawamura seems stressed, and Kazuya can guess that the extra attention Seido's been getting since Koushien is probably part of the problem. The other part, he thinks, is probably the fact that they haven't been together in weeks.

On a whim he pulls his phone away from his ear, scrolls through his calendar. He finds what he's looking for and grins.

"Hey, Eijun?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing the weekend after next?"

"I dunno, we have that weekend off for break," Sawamura replies after a moment, sounding a bit suspicious. "Why?"

"Hm. Let's go away for a weekend."

* * *

The scenery scrolls past, blurred brush-strokes of muted greens and blues and shades of grey, the colors of an impending autumn and busy cities. The train they share is crowded, but not uncomfortably so; Kazuya has a perfect view of a beautiful boy across the carriage from him, a boy framed in the golds of a setting sun and smiling nervously like he isn't quite sure what's going on or where they are going.

At first Kazuya isn't bothered by the fact that Sawamura ( _well, Eijun_ now, he revels) chose to sit across from him rather than next to him -this is the way of things back in Tokyo, whenever they go out. There is always a certain distance between them; Rei-san had cautioned them, once, about being careful of how they present themselves, especially with Kazuya in the spotlight as an up and coming university baseball star and Eijun being noticed by all kinds of important and influential people. As with anyone aspiring to one day become a professional, appearance is always far more important than it seems like it should be, and Eijun had certainly taken that to heart, saying he would never risk Kazuya's future.

He probably doesn't realize that, to Kazuya, _he_ is his future.

Yokohama passes by the window. The train stops at a station; people get on and step off. The seat next to Eijun opens, and Kazuya remedies the situation by sliding into it and settling in like he belongs there.

(The thing is he _does_ , he _always_ belongs next to Eijun.)

The pitcher makes a confused sound in the back of his throat, but Kazuya doesn't provide an explanation. Instead he hums, locates the hand that's resting innocently on Eijun's knee, and covers it in his own, threading their fingers together.

"Ka -Miyuki?" Eijun murmurs, clearly nervous. He isn't looking at the scenery anymore, golden eyes darting between Kazuya, their joined hands, and the other passengers.

"It's okay," he says, voice just a background buzz to the cacophonous melody of the train rattling down its tracks. It breaks his heart that Eijun is so nervous, but at the same time they've been conditioned to worry so much about their future careers that they barely have time to worry about _their_ future. "It's okay, Eijun. Look, no one else even cares."

It's true, none of the other passengers seem to be aware of the scandal unfolding right in their midst. No one even so much as glances in their direction.

Eijun lets out the nervous breath he'd been holding and Kazuya can feel the tension slip out where the lines of their bodies are pressed together. He fervently wishes that things could be different, that they could throw their caution to the wind, tell all the sports mags and sponsors and coaches to fuck right off... As Eijun sinks lower in his seat, rests his head against Kazuya's shoulder and snuggles into his side, Kazuya thinks that maybe this is just as much for his benefit as it is for Eijun's, because the happiness that suffuses his body just from this simple thing makes him feel like he can fly.

A weekend of freedom to spread their wings.

"Hey Mi- Kazuya?"

"Hm?"

"...are we there yet?"

"No."

"How 'bout now?"

"Don't even start."

There is a grin pressed against his shoulder that promises more bratty behavior for the duration of the train ride, but the warm body that settles close against him speaks quietly of affection and sweetness, and he knows he will put up with a lifetime of 'are we there yet's if they come from the man he loves.

(He briefly wonders when he became so sappy, but then he remembers that he is dating a boy who regularly cries over shoujo manga. He has been doomed from the start.)

* * *

"I can't believe you did this for me," Eijun murmurs. The sun has gone beyond the horizon, leaving darkening streaks of purples and pinks in its wake. Eijun's eyes are fixed on the frothy waves rolling onto the beach below them, fingers stroking softly along the frame of the door that separates them from the balcony. He pulls down on the handle, opening the room up to a rush of warm ocean air and the gentle sounds of a world transitioning into twilight. Eijun's eyes are fixed on the ocean like he's never seen it before, and Kazuya supposes it's possible he hasn't.

He slides up behind the pitcher, presses his chest against a back that seems broader than last time they were together, wraps his arms around him and holds him like something precious and beautiful. Eijun's hands come up to rest against his, pressing them into the solid hardness of his lower stomach. Eijun is a boy of contradictions, loud enthusiasm and quiet concentration, soft heart and hard body, firm discipline and gentle smiles. He is a boy of beauty and pain, of hard work and laziness, intelligence and idiocy.

He is a boy of love, of sweetness, of sunlight and warmth and fresh salt air, and there are no adjectives within him to contradict that.

"This isn't just for you, you know. I need it too."

"Yeah, well, you're a selfish bastard," Eijun tells him matter-of-factly, but there's a warm, small smile curling his lips and he leans back against him, just a little, letting Kazuya support him.

Unquestionably trusting in spite of his words, just like always.

Kazuya feels a rush of something heavy and massive, feelings he's had for a while but has never managed to voice unfurling against his ribs. This time when he opens his mouth he finds that the words don't get caught behind his teeth, so he says them soft and quiet against the fluttering heartbeat underneath the skin of Eijun's neck.

"I love you."

There's a sharp intake of breath and Eijun turns around to kiss him, eyes wide and cheeks stained with the delicate flush of pleasure. Kazuya sighs and licks into him. He tastes of salt.

* * *

Their first date -one that doesn't consist of just staying in, too exhausted from baseball and school, or going out in groups to eat a raucous dinner or see the newest flick- is incredibly awkward yet sweet, and months overdue.

It is walking down the street, shoulders bumping and hands brushing until Eijun grows bold and links them together. It is a walk in the park, sharing an ice cream cone -a marriage of chocolate and strawberry on Eijun's insistence. It is banter and laughter and Kazuya brushing ice cream off of Eijun's cheek and sucking it into his mouth, wondering if Eijun usually tastes this sweet or if it's the strawberry. It is lingering gazes and shy smiles and warm, soft skin against fingertips.

It is encountering a sports magazine reporter who recognizes the both of them, sudden fear, abrupt separation.

"Out with the team, Miyuki-kun? Sawamura-kun?" he says, all jovial smile and crinkled eyes. "Or is it just battery bonding today?"

His throat closes around words that he wishes he can say, but he swallows around them, shoves them back down, tries to ignore Eijun's wide, nervous gaze.

"Yeah," he says, not looking at the boy next to him. Rei-san's warning echoes in his ears. "Yeah, it's battery bonding day."

The reporter hands them his business card and leaves the way he came, but Kazuya knows without asking that the damage is already done. They head back to Seido in silence, the distance between them growing wider with each step. He doesn't try to bridge it.

* * *

"So," Kazuya says, humming around a bite of soft melon bread that's still warm.

Eijun looks up from the breakfast he's inhaling and makes a questioning sound in the back of his throat, deeming it unwise to open his mouth with food still in it. Kazuya gives him an irritated yet fond look and casually leans across the table for two to sweep a piece of egg off of Eijun's cheek, laughing while Eijun flusters and shoots furtive looks at the rest of the hotel's patrons dining nearby.

No one is paying attention.

"'So' what?" he asks, shooting Kazuya a hard glare when the corners of his mouth lift in a telltale smirk, as if daring him to say a word about his eating habits.

" _So_ what did you want to do today? I have a map with a few places of interest circled... Or we could just _stay in_." The last part comes out as a purr, and he watches with satisfaction as Eijun's face colors with a mixture of embarrassment, irritation, and intrigue.

"Miyuki Kazuya, shut up," he whines, covering his face with one hand and reaching out to swat at Kazuya with the other. He misses by a mile.

The catcher drops his chin in his hand and lets his smirk fade into a smile -one of his real, genuine smiles that he knows makes Eijun weak. "Have I told you today that I love you?"

"Shut up," Eijun murmurs again, looking agitated and beautiful. "I love you, too. Now gimme the map."

Kazuya leans over the length of the table and gives him a kiss instead, warm and sweet, fingers resting against the sharp curve of his jaw and hair tickling his flushed cheeks. He tips the map into Eijun's slack fingers as he pulls away, but Eijun drops it onto the table with a soft sound and curls his fingers in Kazuya's collar to pull him back in.

This time they don't bother looking around to make sure no one is watching.

* * *

After glancing at the map for a few scant seconds, Eijun sees that there is a giant Buddha living in Kamakura and decides that it is of _utmost importance_ that they go visit that first, so Kazuya packs up a rucksack with bottles of water and snacks and all the necessities and fumbles out the door with his overly exuberant boyfriend in tow.

The walk to the train station is longer than either of them are used to, Kamakura being much smaller and therefore a bit less accommodating than Tokyo, but it's pleasant. The weather is warm enough, considering it's mid-autumn, and the salt breeze blowing off the ocean is refreshing. Eijun is babbling excitedly, one hand waving animatedly while the other holds the guidebook from which he reads the temple description out loud.

Kazuya tunes him out as they walk, content to listen to the shape and warmth of Eijun's voice and the sound of the waves falling against the shore. His mother would have _loved_ Eijun, he thinks as Eijun almost whacks a passer-by with his flailing arm. Eijun bows a perfect 90 degrees and shouts a formal apology, and Kazuya can almost hear his mother's sweet laughter in his ears.

"You are a national disaster," he tells Eijun as they come up to Kamakura Station. The pitcher shoots him a glare, but his eyes fix on something over Kazuya's shoulder and his jaw drops almost comically.

"KAZUYA. KAZUYA LOOK. KAZUYA THERE ARE BIRD COOKIES. THAT IS A STORE SELLING _BIRD COOKIES_."

"Yes Eijun. Cookies. Shaped like birds. Kamakura is famous for them."

"Kazuya I _need_ them."

"Eijun, we're supposed to be on our way to Kotoku-in -you know, the giant Buddha you were so excited about five minutes ago?"

"Okay _yes_ but Kazuya those are _bird cookies_ and I _need_ them. Like. _Right now_."

Eijun turns his extra-potent puppy eyes on him and Kazuya groans, knowing he's going to be the one carrying the goddamn bird cookies around for the rest of the day because he can't say no to those _weapons of mass destruction_. "Fine, fine, but don't get too much."

He follows Eijun through the store, which ends up selling way more than just cookies. There are cellphone charms, napkins, bento boxes, pens and stationery -anything and everything one could possibly need, all decorated in pinks and yellows and fat brown bird cookies. Bird cookie memorabilia for the bird cookie crazed.

A bird cookie _nightmare_.

"This is bird cookie heaven!" Eijun crows as he picks up a handful of bird cookie charms and counts them out for all of his friends and family back home.

Kazuya knows he's _really_ doomed, though, when Eijun finds the bird cookie themed baseball key-chains, cheeks red with euphoria and eyes suspiciously moist.

The end up having to trek back to their hotel to drop off Eijun's spoils.

* * *

The giant Buddha –or _Daibutsu_ -is only a few stops away, but the Enoden train is almost miserably crowded and jerky around the corners, so Kazuya finds himself clinging to a roof hand-hold while Eijun clings to _him_ and babbles excitedly into his chest, flame for the _Daibutsu_ obviously rekindled. It is an uncomfortable twenty minutes even for someone used to the press of bodies that is the Tokyo underground, but despite that he finds himself relaxing in Eijun's arms as the warmth of his body lulls him into a state of contentedness. The train jerks and screeches slowly down the track, rocking the crowd within back and forth, and Eijun tilts with them, dragging Kazuya around despite his hold on the bar above his head. Kazuya sighs and touches his free hand to Eijun's lower back, under the hoodie. Eijun's voice dies and he looks up at Kazuya with his sunshine grin and crinkled golden eyes. Kazuya can't help but press a warm kiss to his cheek, and then another, and another, thirsty for pretty golden skin and the quiet sounds of pleasure that fall from pretty lips.

The train comes to a jarring stop at their station, and they fall out with the rest of the crowd, barely paying attention to anything except each other. As soon as they are through the 'ticket booth' -the station is small enough that it's really just a lone person checking tickets by hand- Kazuya hooks an arm around Eijun's waist and pulls him around the side and away from prying eyes.

"Wha -?" Eijun looks dazed, eyes a bit glossy. He likes being manhandled a little.

"Maybe I wanted to kiss you for a little while first," Kazuya murmurs, head ducked low so that his breath whispers against the reddening skin of Eijun's cheek. "Before I have to share you with the Buddha."

Eijun opens his mouth to protest but Kazuya coaxes him into silence with the soft touch of his lips.

(This time it's Kazuya's fault they get sidetracked.)

* * *

The second time they leave to visit the giant Buddha is more successful.

Kazuya pays the entrance fee with spare change from his pocket and they walk through the ancient gate together, hand in hand. Eijun reads from the little guide they'd received at the ticket office, tells him about the giant pair of sandals made and donated to the temple by schoolchildren after World War Two with the hope that the Buddha would put them on and walk around the country, bringing happiness to its war-ravaged citizens. He tells him that the Buddha had been cast in the 1200s and has survived many natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, outlasting the buildings that used to house him.

Kazuya thinks about a boy who is made of sunshine but could weather any storm, a boy who is now ace, a boy who has the strength to shoulder an entire team's hopes and desires. He tugs Eijun closer to him, giving up his hand in order to find his waist instead.

They wander off the main path to look at the sandals, strung up by hearty wires in the open corridor that surrounds the Buddha on three sides. Eijun gets momentarily distracted by the small wooden buildings that line the wide stone path, little shacks filled with good luck charms and cookies with little Buddha faces baked into the dough. They eventually make their way over to the Buddha, sitting tall in the center of the temple grounds. Eijun insists on posing for ridiculous selfies with it, which is a task that tests Kazuya's patience -the temple has selfie-sticks banned so Eijun, who apparently is _awful_ at taking selfies, has to make multiple attempts until he is satisfied.

They move around the side of the statue with the intention of snuggling on one of the little wooden benches that line the corridor walls, but Eijun stops them with a harsh tug on the hem of Kazuya's hoodie that nearly topples him.

"Kazuya LOOK!" he screeches. Kazuya follows his line of sight to a line of people and a tiny ticket booth that says '20 yen for entrance'. "Did you know you can go _inside_ him -!? Kazuya we _have_ to - Why didn't you _tell_ me we could - I bet _Furuya's_ never -"

"Yes, yes," Kazuya says, grinning. He digs in his pocket for more change but Eijun beats him to it, handing his change to the tiny man in the tiny ticket booth.

The stairs that lead down into the Buddha's platform are spiral, steep, and _very_ cramped. People traipse up and down them sideways, clinging tightly to the rickety handrails. Kazuya swallows, suddenly nervous. He thinks about backing out, making up an excuse to go back to the wooden bench he'd been eying earlier, but Eijun's hand slips into his and squeezes, anchoring him in place, keeping him grounded.

They slip down the stairs together. It's dark -only two open panels in the Buddha's back let in any fresh air and light- and there's nothing to greet them in the base of the platform except a few plaques explaining the casting process and the history of the Buddha's creation. Eijun wanders around the circumference, reads the plaques, touches the bronze panels with soft presses of his palm, stares up at the top where the Buddha's head sits on a reinforced neck. It's interesting, Kazuya thinks as they climb back out. He wonders if Eijun is disappointed.

"That was so cool!" Eijun says when they emerge. "Everyone at school will be _so_ jealous!"

"Sure they will."

Struck by a sudden thought, Eijun's eyes round out and his delighted grin stretches wider. "Kazuya we can do it _again_."

"Eijun, no."

* * *

On the bus to Kencho-ji they meet a little old woman who tells them about how her sister's art is on display in the temple as part of a larger contemporary arts display throughout the country. She tells them of how she hasn't seen her sister in years, how she's traveled a long way from a house she never leaves just to tell her how proud she is of her accomplishments. She has a sad sort of smile on her face as she speaks, like there's a lot of history and not all of it pleasant.

Eijun lays his head on Kazuya's shoulder and gives her his biggest, brightest smile. "We'll go with you!"

Her wrinkled face lights up and she laughs in delight. "Such a sweet boy!"

Kazuya pays for all of their entrance fees when they arrive.

"Now who's the sweet one," Eijun teases.

They follow the old woman through clusters of tourists and small schoolchildren in yellow hats. Eijun fishes Kazuya's hand out of his hoodie pocket and links their fingers together. Kazuya smirks and shoves both their clasped hands back into the pocket, forcing Eijun to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him. They accidentally fall behind the woman during their silent squabble over hand supremacy but she waits patiently for them in front of the dharma hall, where the art display is located. Eijun flushes, hand still in Kazuya's hoodie pocket, but she just smiles kindly at them.

"I was young once too," she says with a wink. Even Kazuya flushes at that.

As they enter the hall he hears Eijun gasp. Looking over at him, he sees Eijun's eyes are glued to the ceiling where a massive, coiled dragon is painted in shades of grey. The hall is a juxtaposition of sturdy, unpainted wood and landscapes filled with color -lavish vases almost as tall as Kazuya and pretty paintings hanging from ancient, gnarled beams. The old woman smiles at them, pleased by their reactions, and shuffles them over to a painting propped against the far wall.

"It's my sister's," she says. "I'm so proud of her."

It's beautiful -a long, thin canvas filled with soft blues and golds that remind Kazuya of watery winter sunrises. It's a landscape of misty mountains and sky and spackled stars, bright orange sun that's just off-center suspended among the fluffy clouds. There is a solitary white bird, outline so faint it almost totally blends in with the scenery. It feels very personal. When he looks back at the woman she is smiling at him.

She says, "it reminds me of you."

* * *

The surf laps at their ankles as they walk, sides touching and arms tucked comfortably around waists. The beach in the evening isn't quite as bustling as it is during the day, but the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable despite the cooling sea spray settling into their hair.

There's something to be said for beautiful beach moonrises, Kazuya thinks, something to be said for seeing the sky and the sea spread out before them, growing darker as the sun goes to sleep and the stars come out to play. Something sort of eternal.

The sky hasn't completely gone dark despite the position of the sun, which Kazuya is thankful for -it means he can still see the fading light play along his lover's face, highlighting the solid, slender ridge of his nose and defining his strong jaw in shadows. Kazuya has allowed himself more sappy thoughts about Eijun in the last twenty-four hours than he has in the last few months, and what a shame that is when he has something this stunning to fawn over.

Eijun kicks at the Pacific froth and gives a satisfied lick to his ice cream cone, a cone they are supposed to be _sharing_ , but which Kazuya has resigned himself to only getting an occasional taste. Hungry, he presses the fingertips of his free hand gently to Eijun's face, and the boy turns his head with a confused sound only to feel the shape of Kazuya's smile against his lips.

He'd only meant to get a taste, but Eijun opens his mouth and the cool sweetness on his tongue lures Kazuya in. They kiss for a while as night deepens around them, cone forgotten, lost to the feeling of salty skin and touches so sweet they make Kazuya's heart ache.

"I love you," Eijun murmurs against his mouth when he pulls away, delivering one last swipe of his wicked tongue across Kazuya's bottom lip.

"I love you too," he replies. The words are heavy in his mouth but so light in the air. "Your ice cream is melting."

"AH!"

* * *

Some say that the island of Enoshima was hefted up from the bottom of the sea in one night, by a goddess with toriis on her head and love in her heart. The island, meant to be a jail for a wicked dragon who spent his hours ravaging the sea and terrorizing the shores, ended up becoming a home instead -the goddess, called Benten, determined to reform the dragon and turn him from his wicked ways, married him instead of jailing him.

They say it is a love story, a tale of romance and reformation, legend of determination and protection. Because of her sacrifice, Bentzaiten is worshipped in many coastal areas, given snakes as her messengers, associated with things that ebb and flow like words, like music, like the sea.

Like love.

Kazuya doesn't understand how it can be a romance at all. It feels nothing like the thing that makes its home inside his chest, feels nothing like the heaviness that sits at his epicenter, waiting to be freely given to the boy currently grumbling next to him.

"Why is this so damn steep," Eijun mumbles, feet dragging over the worn path that leads up Enoshima's hill.

"Obviously," Kazuya says, ignoring the glare that's already being directed his way. " _Obviously_ it's solely to deter people who aren't committed to ringing the love bell and being together forever."

"Wouldn't a 'fakers keep out' sign have been easier?" Eijun is huffing and puffing by the time they crest the top of the hill, but his breath catches up short when he lifts his head from his toes and greets the view. It's absolutely gorgeous, a vast watery blue sky and a churning sea that stretches out beyond the horizon. The sun glints off of a small bell and behind it thousands of shining padlocks wink in greeting.

"Yeah," Kazuya says, trying and failing to keep the grin from spreading on his face. He pulls out a padlock and a set of keys from his pocket, holds them in his outstretched hands like an offering. "But where's the fun in that?"

Eijun nearly bowls him over in his haste to show Kazuya his gratitude, arms thrown haphazardly around broad shoulders and fingers in his hair. He reciprocates, buries his smile in the warm curve of Eijun's shoulder, holds him close against his body with fingers fisted in his hoodie. It's not lost on Eijun that Kazuya is the one who brought the padlock.

"I can't believe how shoujo you are," Eijun mumbles against his chest. Kazuya runs a hand through his fluffy brown hair and kisses his temple. Eijun's shoulders hitch. Kazuya wonders if Eijun is crying yet.

"It's your fault if I am, idiot."

They ring the bell like thousands before them, a ring and a wish for Benten to bless them with love eternal. Eijun takes a few selfies with his phone, frowning until Kazuya plucks it out of his fingers and takes the perfect picture without even trying. They move to the fences that line the cliffs, where Kazuya watches the choppy waters below with trepidation while Eijun runs his fingers along the pretty silver padlocks, listening to the chime of sun kissed metal and the constant rush of the sea.

Eijun likes to touch things, he's noticed, fingers on fraying tatami mats and sliding carefully along jutting stone and uneven bronze. He watches him doing it now, watches him touch their padlock with the same gentleness he reserves for touching Kazuya, slender gold sliding against cool silver. They ghost over their names, kanji painstakingly written in permanent marker, and over the one word that has always connected them.

Partner.

When he looks up he is crying, but they aren't his usual loud tears -they are quiet, beautiful things that collect on his eyelashes and pave trails down his freckled cheeks. They lock their padlock around a fence link, fingers slipping the lock closed together, and they toss their keys into the churning waves below.

Eijun leans against him, a warm press of a hard body against his side, and he fits his arm around his waist, fingers sliding into his back pocket. It's comforting and sweet, but it doesn't dispel the itch under his skin at the sight of the glittering keys sinking into the depths of the ocean.

Suddenly uneasy, he wonders just how many sets of keys carpet the ocean floor beneath them.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Mm, fine," he says, half-turning to press his mouth to Eijun's rosy cheek. The pitcher smiles and turns to face him fully, tangling his fingers in Kazuya's hoodie strings to use them as leverage to pull him into a proper kiss. Kazuya's palm slides up his neck to cradle Eijun's head, to pull him closer, and he feels Eijun sigh a prayer into his mouth.

The restlessness that makes his limbs buzz doesn't disappear, but the wet push and slide of Eijun's tongue against his mouth and the way his long slender fingers splay across his chest help drown it out.

Maybe there's something to be said about reforming wicked dragons after all.

* * *

Eijun's back hits the couch cushions with a soft thump, surprised laughter filling the hotel room. Kazuya grins and sinks down against him, on all fours with his leg halfway off the couch because it's definitely not big enough for two grown men. Sinks down against him and takes his flushed and freckled face so gently in his hands. Eijun is still laughing when Kazuya brings their faces together, still laughing when he brushes his lips over the bridge of Eijun's nose, the pleasure-flushed swells of his cheeks.

Eijun is impatient though, demanding. He isn't laughing anymore either, sweet smile replaced with wet lips parted around Kazuya's name. He fists a hand in Kazuya's hair and bites Kazuya's lip, tells him with damp breath and barely-there words to just kiss him already damnit, he's waited all damn day for Kazuya to touch him, so hurry the hell up.

His lover's skin is a salt-slicked temptation; the way he moans against Kazuya's pulse is the sweetest sound. The feeling of Eijun under him, the gentle rolling of his hips, the way his lips and tongue curl against Kazuya as they kiss -it's all a beautiful symphony that leaves him desperate for more. It's heat and breathy moans and names dripping from mouths like honey. He wants to touch Eijun everywhere at once, to follow his fingertips with feather-light lips and reacquaint himself with all of the places that make his toes curl.

Eijun is the most beautiful creature he's ever seen, and this close, face to face, Kazuya can see his own wet-lipped reflection in Eijun's eyes and thinks maybe he can be beautiful too.

"Mmn I wish we could do this more often," Eijun sighs, eyes half-lidded and voice breathy. He reaches for Kazuya, but the catcher sits back, suddenly cold.

He's felt unsteady since Enoshima -no, longer. His hands shake with a sense of urgency he doesn't understand, stomach tied in knots he doesn't know how to pluck apart. He feels it acutely now, painfully aware of the sudden anxiety that quickens his heart and cools the ardor Eijun had stoked inside him.

They haven't gotten around to stripping yet, but somehow Eijun's considering, concerned gaze makes him feel naked. Exposed.

"I'm sorry," he says, turning his face down to avoid the hurt and confusion in Eijun's eyes as he struggles to sit up. "I'm sorry."

"Kazuya, what -?"

"I'm sorry it's like this. I'm sorry you have to hide. I'm sorry I can't hold your hand or kiss you whenever you want. I'm sorry I have to take you all the way to fucking _Kamakura_ just to be with you. I'm sorry -"

He stops, distraught.

 _I'm sorry that I've locked you into a closet that we can't get out of._

"Hey hey, it's okay, I didn't mean it like that," Eijun murmurs. He winds slender fingers through Kazuya's hair and brings them close, forehead to forehead. "I didn't know this was bothering you."

Kazuya sighs and presses against the palm cradling his jaw, almost laughs. "I didn't either. I just don't want to be a risk you regret taking."

Eijun leans away from him with a frown and shakes off Kazuya's hand to flick him in the forehead, right between the eyes.

"Ow! What -"

"It might be a risk, Miyuki Kazuya," Eijun interrupts, soft smile wrinkling the corners of his eyes. "But I _love_ you, how could I ever regret that?"

The breath stutters out of him, leaving his chest feeling lighter than it has in weeks. Eijun smiles and sticks his tongue out, acts like he didn't just absolve Kazuya of every single one of his insecurities with two short sentences and eyes like summer.

"Really, Eijun?" Kazuya means to tease Eijun for his shoujo tendencies, but his heart is going a mile a minute and his voice comes out breathless, just this side of a moan.

Eijun hides his grin in the curve of Kazuya's neck. "Shut up. And don't stop kissing me, I'm not done with you yet."

"Mm, is that so."

"Yep. It's a _promise_."

* * *

The bags are all packed up.

Their hotel room looks stark, one bed still made up because even though they'd asked for a single they were given a double, and there's no use for an extra bed when it's just them. His heart skips a beat at the sight of the other bed, _their_ bed, sheets a mess and no space between their pillows. He thinks about cold feet against calves and the warmth of another body curled around his, about falling asleep with a galaxy of freckles on warm skin and waking up to sleepy twin suns.

He thinks, _I am going to miss this_.

Thinks, _I am going to miss_ you.

The bags are all packed up, and now it's time for Eijun to return to Seido and he to Waseda, time for them to go from Eijun and Kazuya to Sawamura and Miyuki(-senpai), from being _partners_ to old teammates. It's a dichotomy neither of them truly want, but both of them have to live with.

Eijun kisses him with chapped lips dried with salt and Kazuya really wishes they could stay, Eijun's sigh of _Mmn I wish we could do this more often_ echoing in his mind.

But the bags are all packed up.

* * *

"Miyuki Kazuya! Did you see the article!?"

Kazuya grins and shifts his baseball bag to his other shoulder. Sawamura's voice is a warm and welcome distraction from the chilly early spring breeze that shifts across Kazuya's damp skin. Practice has just ended and Kazuya is starving, but he holds the phone closer to his ear and waves off his lingering teammates to take the call.

Supper can wait. Besides, it's Eijun's time that Kazuya is truly hungry for.

"We've barely talked in weeks and this is how you greet your boyfriend," Kazuya teases, letting his shoulder thud against the sturdy side wall of the deserted dug out.

"Shut up."

"I'm starting to get the feeling that 'shut up' is actually Eijun-speak for 'I love you'."

"This is serious!"

"Okay, calm down, idiot." Kazuya takes a moment to appreciate the Eijun in his imagination, flushed an attractive red with frustration from his chest to the tips of his ears. He feels a sudden, strong urge to hop on the metro and visit him at Seido, to see that red face in person and maybe kiss him quiet. Instead he sighs and crouches down, runs the tips of his free hand over the blades of grass struggling to grow outside the diamond. "Sorry Eijun, I haven't had a chance. I feel like I haven't done anything but study and practice for ages."

"Wait, really? You really don't know?" Eijun asks, sounding genuinely bewildered. Kazuya lets his head thunk back against the wood and releases a long-suffering sigh that injects an annoyed tone to Eijun's voice. "What! I thought you were just teasing me! Seriously? I mean I'm glad I get to tell you myself, but -"

"Eijun."

"Oh. Right." Kazuya gets the feeling that miles away in Seido's comfortable dorms Eijun is squaring his shoulders like he's preparing for battle, clearly nervous but trying to face it head-on like the headstrong boy he is. There is a familiar rush of fondness that seeps into his core and he tips his head back with a grin. "So um I've been in meetings and stuff with Boss lately, trying to figure out what my options are for uh...after graduation I guess? And um. Just yesterday I got a letter.

"I've been accepted to Waseda, to your university. Kazuya, we can be a _battery_ again."

"I -what? That's..."

They'd talked about this months ago, poured over Eijun's university options and pro contract offers until their eyes burned with exhaustion, carefully considering the foundation of the future Eijun was beginning to build for himself. But that had been the last he'd heard; the topic had fallen away as exams and graduation and other distractions loomed over them.

Of course he'd harbored hope that Eijun would end up choosing his university, but he'd never really expected…

"That's amazing. That's -"

Eijun laughs, an intimate, _delighted_ sound that reminds Kazuya of sun-warmed sand and glinting silver padlocks. On a whim he pulls his phone away from his ear, scrolls through his calendar. He finds what he's looking for and grins.

"Hey, Eijun?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing the weekend after next?"

"I dunno, we have that weekend off," Sawamura replies after a moment, quiet joy softening his voice. "Why?"

"Let's go away for a weekend."

* * *

 **OMAKE**

[8/9/15, 3:15:28 AM] 御幸 一也: eijun just piggin out on the bird cookies. imagine his despair when kazuya eats the last one

[8/9/15, 3:15:36 AM] 御幸 一也: KAZUYA WHY

[8/9/15, 3:15:38 AM] 御幸 一也: WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS

[8/9/15, 3:15:42 AM] 御幸 一也: YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE COOKIES MEANT TO ME

[8/9/15, 3:15:55 AM] 御幸 一也: relax we can get more tomorrow

[8/9/15, 3:16:01 AM] 御幸 一也: OH. OKAY.

* * *

AN: So this sort of based on real things! I went to Japan back in May and spent a few days in Kamakura. The town really inspired me and as soon as I saw batteryboiz's wip for the bang I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

I ended up cutting out a lot but ive been encouraged to post the scraps so be on the look-out for those! im not sure if im gonna post them in addition to this or just on my writing blog so if you want to pls consider following me at trumpet-geek on tumblr!

Anyway here are some little factoids about Kamakura and some of the places I mentioned!

Kamakura is situated on the beach about an hour and a half south of Tokyo, also south of Yokohama. It's a popular vacation destination for Tokyoites and surfers. Because the size of the city is pretty small the only train there is the Enoden, which is an old electric railway and is exactly as rickety as I described. As in, hold on for dear life, though really it's usually so packed full of people that you won't move an inch even if you're not holding onto anything. It's a neat train though.

They are staying in the Kamakura Prince hotel, which is where I stayed! It's really close to the beach and you get a nice view from the balcony. We could see Mt Fuji from our room!

Like Eijun I went a bit bird cookie crazy lmao. I'd heard of them before I went so at least I was prepared, but I didn't expect to see all the merchandise in addition to the cookies. The cookies are called hato sabure and are just plain butter cookies, but Kamakura has turned them into a tourist attraction. They're sold in cute yellow and pink boxes with doves on them!

The Giant Buddha (Daibutsu, Kotoku-in) is located near Hase Station and is the second tallest Buddha in Japan, built in 1252. The vendors do sell Buddha cookies (which I bought...they were yummy) and you can actually go inside him, though there isn't much in there.

Kencho-ji is the most important of Kamakura's zen temples and also the oldest, founded in 1253. The dragon painted on the ceiling of the Dharma hall really exists and it's very impressive.

We really did meet a sweet old lady whose sister was an artist, and her art really was on display at Kencho-ji, but I didn't actually get to see it. We ended up seeing another arts display at Kiyomizudera in Kyoto though, which displayed the art I described in the fic. It was part of a nation-wide arts display in temples and shrines!

We never went to Enoshima, so all of the information I have on the island, the love bell, and the story of Benzaiten are from outside sources.


End file.
